2 hours into the IIA Philly conference and I already have 5 free pens. Score!
If you'd said two pens, I'd say the claim is immaterial but when you get into five… sorry, bro, but I'm going to need photographic confirmation on this. Are they good pens or those busted Bic ones? Have they actually been given to you or are you running from table to table taking as many as you can get your greedy little paws on? We need these details.
While we're on the topic of tchotchkes (sort of), anyone want to set up a tchotchke swap? Here's what I can put on the table:
AICPA/KPMG tote bag (the *good* kind of tote bag with a zipper and pockets and stuff)
Approximately 47 Bic pens lifted from the JW Marriott while attending AICPA events
AccountingWEB metal water bottle with half a logo remaining
AICPA water bottle
Wiss & Company water bottle
Various AccountingWEB/GC Post-it notes
AccountingWEB hand sanitizer pen… no wait, I'm keeping that one, it's freaking genius and comes in handy when I'm shaking hands
Reznick "fake" Rubiks cube
Old logo EY note-taking booklet with tiny little Post-its
Freshbooks floppy beach hat
Up to 70 old logo Going Concern luggage cozies
I also have a nice assortment of media and Fed items but the only thing I'm willing to trade of my Fed collection is bags of shredded money in denominations of $100, of which I have an unlimited supply. HMU, people.
“I believe the available market is smaller than the bulls believe it to be and that Green Mountain has already penetrated a good chunk of it,” Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc., said today during his so-called “GAAP-uccino” presentation at the Value Investing Congress in New York. “The market is limited,” he said.The company also has a “litany of accounting questions,” Einhorn said, adding that it has reduced transparency and needs to improve disclosure. [BBW]
Doesn’t it sometimes feel like we’re thisclose to breaking out of the economic doldrums? If we just got a little push we’d be back to the McMansions and mall marathons in no time. What’s holding us back, you ask? Ourselves of course!
It’s your lack of enthusiasm about your very own job that is keeping this country from being great again. Forget about Democrats, Republicans (although, it is fun hating both of them, isn’t it?) or quantitative easing (no one really knows what it means, anyway). You have the power deep inside you to change your attitude about being stuck in a gray cubicle for 12+ hours a day in an office with a bunch of jerks and have only limited access to the bathroom.
According to the Shift Index, the solution lies in empowering passionate employees, those who feel truly engaged with their work and constantly push the performance envelope, by accelerating institutional innovation and driving corporate growth. However, Deloitte’s 2010 Worker Passion Survey – one of several separate studies that feed into the overall Shift Index report – reveals that only 23 percent of U.S. workers are passionate about their current jobs.
“By squeezing resources tighter in response to the near-term downturn, companies risk losing passionate employees,” said John Hagel, co-chairman, Deloitte Center for the Edge. “These individuals will play a critical role in sustaining the extreme performance improvement required for firms to survive and succeed beyond the recovery. Unfortunately, as the recovery picks up steam, these very employees are likely to be the most at risk for fleeing for better employment platforms.”
Right then! And you know what gets people impassioned? Social media of course! Your constant desire to be networking 24/7 with people that are as excited about [insert] as you are. You don’t need to meet a person in the flesh:
“Passionate workers actively seek like-minded people using digital tools and social media to advance dialogue, learning and collaboration,” said Hagel. “Their urge to connect fuels inter-firm knowledge flows, which often go unrecognized but are a vital part of any organization that wants to be successful in today’s hyper-competitive environment.”
So until you’re ready to get drenched in passion for whatever it is that gets your blood boiling (former Jets sideline reporters don’t count) you’re holding this economy back. Hope you sleep well knowing that.
2010. What a year, amiright? It got off to a bit of a rough start after our facelift but as the year went on, things stayed interesting…most of the time. Anyway, since most of you aren’t getting Jack Squat done this week, let’s take a look back at the year that was.
1. Compensation – Shocking revelation here, we realize but – YES! – it’s true, red about most in 2010. After two years of disappointment, the Big 4 and the aspiring “Bigs” (Grant Thornton, BDO, McGladrey) all returned to merit increases and bonuses this year. PwC shot out of the gate with Ernst & Young keeping pace while KPMG remained steady but slightly behind. Deloitte, lagging behind, made a late charge with the announcement of a mid-year adjustment, which may or may not have set off a rash spreading amongst the other firms to provide bonuses throughout their fiscal year-ends. Was it a successful 2010 on the compensation front? Some say “yes,” some say “no,” but there’s little doubt about what keeps your attention.
2. PwC Email Hottiegate – Unless you were in a coma during the second week of November, you were aware of the email that listed the top 10, errr 13, new female associates that came out of PwC in Ireland. The gents who passed around the list weren’t so concerned with using work email to give the ladies the Letterman treatment and the Irish brass didn’t take too kindly to the “tradition.” This story dominated our pages for a few days and the last we knew, a total of five employees had been suspended, the women weren’t planning on lawsuits and Adrienne gave her point of view (as a member of the fairer sex).
5. Large firm vs. Small firm – An anonymous reader submitted an essay on the main differences between life in the Big 4 (and aspiring Bigs) life and that of the lives working in the smaller firms. Most have wondered what life would be like in their bizarro public accounting existence and some have actually lived it. There are pros and cons to each but life at the small firm is decidedly different.
6. An auditor’s life:
7. Layoffs – 2010 saw fewer mass layoffs than the past couple of years but that doesn’t mean there weren’t spots of cuts here and there. Most notably were the nationwide cuts at McGladrey as well as the 500 cuts made by PwC in Florida. Grant Thornton was busy slimming down its exposure in smaller markets but layoffs were not always part of the “transition” as practices were often sold or employees were giving the opportunity to transfer. And last but not least, we learned that Deloitte claimed “our bad” on their cuts from May 2009.
9. PwC Houston Happy Hour – The team happy hour. Typically a festive event filled with free booze, laughs and the occasional awkward advance. The latter allegedly took form of a partner towards an associate this past summer in PwC’s Houston office that resulted in a odd pick-up line, a sloppy kiss (our vision) and then a knuckle sand. The latest we heard was there were multiple associates approached, the partner-in-question was still with the firm and that the associate(s) involved were shipped off to other engagements. So all is well in H-town. PwC never returned our calls, emails or singing telegrams on this story.
10. Accounting Career Drama – One of the most popular series on GC is the career advice that we throw out here and there. Everything from trying to quit nicely during busy season to defection amongst Big 4 firms to explaining why your fantasy football roster is constantly on your computer screen. We’re here to help you get through the purgatory that is your time on Earth so if you’ve got a problem and want advice, email us at advice@goingconcern.com.
If we missed any of your favorites, feel free to recall your fondest memories on this here site. As we head into the new year, here’s a friendly reminder of how to get in touch with us:
“I believe the available market is smaller than the bulls believe it to be and that Green Mountain has already penetrated a good chunk of it,” Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc., said today during his so-called “GAAP-uccino” presentation at the Value Investing Congress in New York. “The market is limited,” he said. The company also has a “litany of accounting questions,” Einhorn said, adding that it has reduced transparency and needs to improve disclosure. [
2010. What a year, amiright? It got off to a bit of a rough start after